I am about to head out in a few minutes to be a part of baptizing some people. I love baptism; I really do. There is something so powerful about that ordinance. Believers and non coming together to celebrate an individual publically committing their life to Christ. Some people see it as a church thing; oh please don’t miss out on the beauty and power of what baptism is.
First Command:
The first command that Jesus gives to someone who makes the decision to follow him is to be baptized
Matthew 28:18-20 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus set the example:
Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John didn’t want to baptize him. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” But Jesus said, “It must be done, because we must do everything that is right.” So then John baptized him. (Matthew 3:13–15 NLT)
Jesus said that everything he did was to please the Father. So we know that the baptism of a believer is pleasing to the Father. If there was ever anyone who did not need baptism for the repentance of sins it was Jesus. But he did this as an example to the believers. He told us to pray; and he prayed. He told us to love our enemies; he loved his enemies, he told us to love God, he loved God. He told us to be baptized and he set the example.
What is baptism: Baptism is a water grave. When we make a decision to follow Christ we are chosing to die to our old self, the old man, who we used to be. Jesus told Nicademus in John 3; “you must be born again” and that is what the image of baptism is. We are follow Jesus steps; he died and was laid in a tomb but three days later by the power of the Holy Spirit he was raised to life. In baptism we are showing that are dying to that old life and by the power of the Holy Spirit we are being raised to new life. The water is a picture of the grave that we are lowered into, and then being raised to new life.
Is it required for Salvation? If baptism is required for salvation then salvation is no longer by grace, but by works. Salvation is a gift of God given freely to all who would receive it. I don’t get baptized to be saved; I get baptized because I am saved. Look at the repentive thief on the cross.
Luke 23:40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The thief showed all the signs of a true conversion (I’ll save that for another blog) and at that point Jesus said; “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise, as soon as you hop down off that cross and get baptized”. No, didn’t happen. Why? Salvation is not a requirement for salvation, it is our first response to salvation.
-Powerful symbol:
It is a powerful picture, a symbol of death, burial and resurrection. I wear a wedding ring. It is a symbol of a commitment that I made to Renee for all to see. If I take my ring off that does not mean that I am not married. A single man can put a ring on his finger but that does not mean that he is married. It is a symbol. But it is a powerful symbol because it is one of obedience to God. When I wear my wedding ring it is a public statement to all who see it that I have made a covenant with someone. I have made a commitment to my wife. It is for all to see, I do hide it, not ashamed of it, not at all. That is why we make wedding rings out of costly material and have them to be beautiful, we want people to know about the commitment we made; we are not ashamed.
Romans 1: 16” For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”
That is why we do baptism openly. It is not a hidden event, we celebrate. I don’t keep my hand in my pocket hoping no one sees my ring. I spent some money on that thing, I want people to know that I have made a decision to enter into a relationship with this one person and I am not ashamed. In fact I was so excited about my union with Renee that I invited all my closest family and friends. I did the same thing with my baptism. Have you experienced this God? I want the world to know; and baptism is like that ring.
Who is baptism for? It is for the followers of Jesus Christ. It is for those who have made that decision to follow Christ with their lives. It is for those who are saying to the world; “I have chosen Christ as my Lord and savior and I am dead to my old self and alive in Christ”. So because of that, baptism isn’t for infants. Some religions believe that if a baby dies before they are baptized that child will end up in hell. Not so, and certainly not scriptural. I conduct baby dedications. Baby dedications do not bring salvation to that child; salvation is a choice and that baby cannot yet make that choice. I do baby dedications for the parents, the family, for the church. Together we are praying and believing that there will be a day when that child understands the gospel message and freely receives Jesus Christ into their life committing to following him; and at that point baptism takes place.
Is there something powerful about the water? There is nothing powerful about the water, but there is something powerful about the obedience.
Is it too late for me? If you are reading this; then no. I had the privilege of baptizing a woman one time who had been saved for years. She had grown up in church and had gotten baptized as a child. But she hadn’t received Christ, she was doing it because everyone else was. Later in life she understood the message of God’s love, grace and forgiveness and gave her life to Christ. But she was already baptized; first things first. Let’s get the order correct. I don’t get to wear a wedding band until after I make the commitment of marriage. Once she understood that she had things a little out of order she wanted to get them right. She knew that she had accepted Christ and now as an adult she wanted to follow Jesus in baptism and on that night in Kyle Texas I baptized my wife Renee.
Don’t let pride get in the way of getting things in right alignment. Maybe you’ve been in church for quite some time but have never been baptized; this is your time. Maybe you are even a leader in the church and you wonder; “what will people think”? This is your time. The greater question is; What will Christ think?